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Old 09-18-2009, 08:15 PM   #1
Vansquish
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA/ Bloomington, IN, USA
Posts: 2,624
Default My very first car!

Well...you guys may remember that I had a Black RX8 with the black and red leather interior a few years back, but that was a company lease car through Ford.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a Pearlescent White Mazdaspeed6, and this is the first time I've had a chance to take any pictures of it.

First, the obligatory nose-shot with the keys, a note, and the manual:



...and now a few shots of the car itself. It's an '06, used, with relatively heavily tinted windows. I'm planning on having the tint removed, but haven't had the time. I picked it up in Houston and drove it back to Ann Arbor over the course of 2 days before Labor Day Weekend, and the thing just runs like a top. It's got a surprising amount of mid-range urge, and the gearing is quite short, so you definitely feel like you are moving a lot faster than you actually are. You have to make 2 shifts to make it to 60mph, and at 80mph in 6th, the engine is turning about 3100rpm. The suspension and chassis are definitely stiffer than our old V6 Mazda6, or the Mazda6i that one of my friends has. That being said, it's impressively refined despite all of that and the fact that it has 45-series tires. I will say that it sounds pretty uninspired, and I wouldn't mind a bit more aural "oomph", so I may pop for a GHL/Corksport/Magnaflow/Borla exhaust system to free up a bit more power and noise, but I also want to keep it a bit of a sleeper and a cruiser, as I'll be making regular trips of around 400 miles in the next few months.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it, and if you want pictures of specific bits, let me know, I'll be happy to take some more pics, though I may wait until I wash it next.




The Vespa is actually my primary means of transport around town, as parking is free, easy to come-by, and it gets around 75-80mpg. Before you all start berating me on the fact that I ride a dumb little scooter, keep in mind the following:

1. I won it by dropping a business card into a hat at the Ann Arbor Art Fair 2 years ago.

2. It cost $3200 new, all I had to do was pay taxes on it and a registration fee.

3. It has a cross-drilled front rotor and hydraulic brakes (pretty snazzy for a 50cc put-put)
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